In this month’s Snarky Mark column, I want to introduce you to some members of the LUN Board. I couldn’t include all members on the Board for several reasons. The column would be too long; some members I barely know; some members I have no dirt on; and some members might be offended by my snarkiness. Snarky Mark is an acquired taste and not everyone acquires it.
Denny Head:
Affectionately known as Sparty due to his Michigan State roots, Denny has played a vital role in leading numerous charitable activities including Food Bank of the Rockies, Salvation Army Toy Drive, Denver Health Newborns in Need and the Lowry Fourth of July parade. He was previously on the board of the Cherry Creek Neighborhood Association, Lowry Foundation and has been a LUN Board member for several years.
Denny can do almost anything … except spell, and he views punctuation as optional. In grade school, he was usually one of the first to get eliminated in spelling bees. He has recently adopted AI to do his spelling and writing for him with limited success. He’s trying.
Kathy Head:
The LUN Board Chairperson for several years running, Kathy is not only married to Sparty but is a Sparty grad herself. She is the force behind all the good work that LUN does. She possesses great organizational and communication skills, is very even keeled and can be tactfully forceful on issues when needed. She has been lobbying for years to find her LUN Board Chairperson replacement but has been unsuccessful because no one wants to follow in the footsteps of a legend. I mentioned to another Board member that she’s never going to find her replacement when she keeps stacking up the awards. His reply, “Exactly. She needs to start doing a terrible job and change the narrative to … we need to get rid of this woman; she’s an absolute train wreck.”
Renee Arrington:
A UNC-Chapel Hill grad, Renee once owned a wine store in the Denver area and has a
background in advertising/marketing. A tireless worker, Renee has been on the LUN Board for several years as well as the Boulevard One Neighborhood Association. Renee is on the Marketing Committee and organizes, writes, edits and publishes the monthly LUN Newsletter which requires a significant time investment, and she does an amazing job at it. She’s always pleasant to be around and is a great conversationalist.
Renee’s only downside: she is a passionate and die-hard fan of the Tennessee Volunteers despite her UNC-Chapel Hill education. In fact, she fleeced a free drink from me last year on a bet when “her Vols” beat UNC (also alma mater of KidSnarks) in the NCAA World Series last year. Like how does that happen? Who cheers against their alma mater?
Barb DeSarro:
A Denver East and CU Buff grad, Barb is a retired CDOT employee and has served on the LUN Board for several years and on the Traffic and Safety Committee. Barb is a volunteering machine and has regularly volunteered for Food Bank of the Rockies,
Salvation Army Toy Drive and Denver Health Newborns in Need. She also volunteers on several gardening and landscaping projects at George Washington High School and leads elementary school field trips at Bluff Lake Nature Center. A fun fact about Barb is that she is also known as “Miss 311” for her frequent phone calls to Denver City Services to report issues within Lowry … like downed street signs, malfunctioning
irrigation, potholes, etc. She calls so often that she has them on speed dial and has been assigned her own number on their automated phone menu (i.e. if this is Barb DeSarro then please press “1”). And they answer by saying, “Yes Barb. What in the heck is the issue today?”
Tom Oury:
An Indiana Hoosier grad, Tom is a newer LUN Board member and has served for two years. He is on the Climate Action Committee and is a regular participant on the Traffic and Safety meetings. He volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies, Salvation Army Toy Drive and is an active participant in Litter Free Lowry. A fun fact about Tom that few people know – including Tom himself – is that in his younger days he worked at Earl Scheib Auto Painting where he would paint any car any color for just $49.99. And that included painting the windows, tires, bumpers, headlights AND taillights. Earl Scheib where the motto is: “No one can beat our prices because we don’t use tape.”
Olivia Merrill:
Olivia is a Denver area realtor and the newest and youngest LUN Board member – serving for a year or so. Despite her brief tenure, Olivia’s contributions have been immediate and impactful. This woman is organized, energetic and flat-out gets things done. She’s a dynamo. Olivia is on the Marketing Committee, and along with Renee Arrington, she organizes, writes, edits and publishes the monthly LUN Newsletter. Additionally, Olivia does other marketing/communication activities for LUN including organizing promotional events at Woodgrain Bagels, and she also established student-led litter teams at Lowry Elementary and Stanley British Primary schools. When I mentioned to Kathy Head what a great addition Olivia has been to the Board, Kathy replied, “Olivia is great! I wish that I could clone ten of her.”
The LUN Board in its current form is very talented and has advocated for Lowry residents for years, but some members are getting older and would prefer to take on more of an advisory role. The LUN Board could benefit from an infusion of younger people to get involved and bring their fresh ideas, perspectives, energy and talent to make the LUN Board and Lowry even better. Specifically, the LUN Board is looking for someone with solid leadership, organizational, communication and people skills to replace Kathy Head as the LUN Board Chairperson.
The LUN Board meetings are held on the first Monday of the month and are open to anyone. Attending a meeting may be a good way to explore if possibly serving on the LUN Board interests you.